The research essay for beginners
There are many parts to an essay, but if we break them down into smaller chunks, essay writing becomes easier to handle.
The first thing you need to know is that an ESSAY is not a REPORT. A report tells a bunch of facts about a topic. An ESSAY is there to convince the reader of your opinion. The tricky part is to make the reader think that your opinion is not simply your opinion, but the truth! Some examples of essay vs report:
Essay thesis
TOPIC
Report
Teenagers today watch too much television.
TV
The history of TV.
The Vancouver Whitecaps are the best professional soccer team in Canada because they have a great offensive line, a solid defense, and the most enthusiastic fans in the country.
Soccer
The rules of soccer.
Even though some archaeologists are not sure how he died, it is obvious that King Tut was a murder victim.
King Tutankhamen
King Tut's life and times.
Although bullying happens in schools, teachers and administrators should not be held responsible for bullying that happens between students.
Bullying
How to tell if your child is being bullied.
Notice that essay topics can be ARGUED--you can agree or disagree with these statements. Report topics just tell everything the author knows about a topic.
Most essays have three main parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The introduction of your essay will "tell them what you're going to tell them". When your reader sees your introduction, he or she will understand what you are going to write about in the body of your essay, why you think it is important enough to write about, and what side of the issue that you are on. The introduction is usually one paragraph long (for beginners) and often starts with a big idea (telling why your topic is important to the world), then narrowing down to the particular points you are going to make in your body paragraphs. The last sentence in this paragraph, your THESIS STATEMENT, is the most important, and the hardest to write. It must clearly tell the reader what is coming. The thesis also lets your reader know which side of the issue you support (and you CAN'T support BOTH sides! You have to pick one!), and may outline the topic of each of your body paragraphs (like the soccer example above).
The body of your essay will "tell them". This is the part of your essay that will do all the explaining and make your arguments, show off your research, and generally do all the hard work. It is usually (for beginners) three paragraphs long. In a research essay, these paragraphs are usually EXPOSITORY paragraphs or PERSUASIVE paragraphs. Each paragraph must have a clear topic sentence and evidence of some research (for a research essay). Be aware that your essay has to FLOW, which means you will need to use TRANSITIONS between your intro and first body paragraph, between each of your body paragraphs, and between the last body paragraph and the conclusion.
The conclusion of your essay will "tell them what you told them", or sum up what you had to say. Usually it restates the thesis and then tells why the reader should care about your points or your argument. You can think of it as starting with your point, then getting broader toward the bottom--like a triangle.
Citing your sources
Another important part of your essay is the WORKS CITED page. It must show all the sources you consulted when you were researching for your essay. You must be careful to jot down all the information you will need to make your Works Cited page. In your essay-writing handout, you have examples of the format for books, for magazines, for newspapers, and for Internet sources. Make sure you have ALL the relevant information. All sources must be in alphabetical order by author's name. They are set up in "hanging" format, and this page (like the rest of your essay) is double-spaced.
Essays don't have title pages in MLA format. Instead, type your name, period and the date in the top left-hand corner of the first page. Then use a HEADER to put your name and the page number on each page of your essay.
You can click
to see a sample research essay with comments. Please note that I made this one up--the sources are not real--because it is just a model. You may not make up your sources!
The formatting of the Works Cited page is CRUCIAL. It MUST be done correctly. Check the fictional student essay or your essay-writing handout for the details.
One more thing: in order to avoid plagiarism, ANY idea that you put down on paper which did not come out of your own head (facts, opinions, arguments--anything!) MUST be immediately followed by a parenthetical citation. Look at the fictional student essay for examples, and check your essay-writing handout for more detail. If you include any ideas that are not your own without telling their source, you are stealing their ideas and claiming them as your own.
If you need help with any of these steps, you can make an appointment with me before or after school for some assistance. Or, you can check the links page for more help.
There are many parts to an essay, but if we break them down into smaller chunks, essay writing becomes easier to handle.
The first thing you need to know is that an ESSAY is not a REPORT. A report tells a bunch of facts about a topic. An ESSAY is there to convince the reader of your opinion. The tricky part is to make the reader think that your opinion is not simply your opinion, but the truth! Some examples of essay vs report:
Most essays have three main parts: an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
The introduction of your essay will "tell them what you're going to tell them". When your reader sees your introduction, he or she will understand what you are going to write about in the body of your essay, why you think it is important enough to write about, and what side of the issue that you are on. The introduction is usually one paragraph long (for beginners) and often starts with a big idea (telling why your topic is important to the world), then narrowing down to the particular points you are going to make in your body paragraphs. The last sentence in this paragraph, your THESIS STATEMENT, is the most important, and the hardest to write. It must clearly tell the reader what is coming. The thesis also lets your reader know which side of the issue you support (and you CAN'T support BOTH sides! You have to pick one!), and may outline the topic of each of your body paragraphs (like the soccer example above).
The body of your essay will "tell them". This is the part of your essay that will do all the explaining and make your arguments, show off your research, and generally do all the hard work. It is usually (for beginners) three paragraphs long. In a research essay, these paragraphs are usually EXPOSITORY paragraphs or PERSUASIVE paragraphs. Each paragraph must have a clear topic sentence and evidence of some research (for a research essay). Be aware that your essay has to FLOW, which means you will need to use TRANSITIONS between your intro and first body paragraph, between each of your body paragraphs, and between the last body paragraph and the conclusion.
The conclusion of your essay will "tell them what you told them", or sum up what you had to say. Usually it restates the thesis and then tells why the reader should care about your points or your argument. You can think of it as starting with your point, then getting broader toward the bottom--like a triangle.
Citing your sources
Another important part of your essay is the WORKS CITED page. It must show all the sources you consulted when you were researching for your essay. You must be careful to jot down all the information you will need to make your Works Cited page. In your essay-writing handout, you have examples of the format for books, for magazines, for newspapers, and for Internet sources. Make sure you have ALL the relevant information. All sources must be in alphabetical order by author's name. They are set up in "hanging" format, and this page (like the rest of your essay) is double-spaced.
Essays don't have title pages in MLA format. Instead, type your name, period and the date in the top left-hand corner of the first page. Then use a HEADER to put your name and the page number on each page of your essay.
You can click
The formatting of the Works Cited page is CRUCIAL. It MUST be done correctly. Check the fictional student essay or your essay-writing handout for the details.
One more thing: in order to avoid plagiarism, ANY idea that you put down on paper which did not come out of your own head (facts, opinions, arguments--anything!) MUST be immediately followed by a parenthetical citation. Look at the fictional student essay for examples, and check your essay-writing handout for more detail. If you include any ideas that are not your own without telling their source, you are stealing their ideas and claiming them as your own.
If you need help with any of these steps, you can make an appointment with me before or after school for some assistance. Or, you can check the links page for more help.